Running out of fuel while driving a motor vehicle is a common occurrence. The essential problem is that many drivers inadvertently forget to observe when the fuel level gauge has reached the “empty” position. And even then it can occur when the driver is unaware how far the motor vehicle can travel at any given position of the fuel gauge, and the motor vehicle runs out of fuel between service stations.
To combat this issue, many motor vehicles are equipped with a fuel warning indicator that notifies the driver of the motor vehicle, typically with a light or sound, that the fuel tank is running low. While this solution has worked very satisfactorily, there is still room for improvement.
The distance a motor vehicle can travel without stopping to refill the fuel tank is dependent on the amount of fuel within the tank and the fuel economy of the motor vehicle. In order to calculate when an indicator should be activated, the typical fuel warning indicator uses an estimated fuel economy based on the type and class of the particular motor vehicle. However, this estimation does not take into account the actual fuel economy of the motor vehicle, which can be dependent on how and where the motor vehicle is driven. Moreover, the point in time at which the typical fuel warning indicator is activated is set by the manufacturer, and may be any particular distance to empty.